31 



homefl Shah had submitted, and agreed to fin- 

 iiish the merchandize demanded by Sequeira, but 

 requested that he would send hi& men to three 

 different places to receive it, and thus fell upon 

 them when tliey were divided ; an anifice too 

 shallow lo be likely to deceive any one with the 

 least pretensions to common sense. In this action 

 Scqueira, in addition to his loss of killed and 

 wounded, was obliged to leave sixty of his%ieri 

 prisoners of war. Alfonso de Albnqnerque, a 

 name familiar tt> most readers, was at this time 

 Governor, or Viceroy, of the Portuguese'possessi- 

 ons in the East, and, on learning the fate of Se- 

 queiras expedition, deturmined to attempt anew 

 the conquest of so valuable a port. The conditi- 

 on of Malacca is thus described by the native 

 historian. " At this lime Malacca was in a very 

 " flourishing- state and the general resort of mer- 

 " chants ; from Ayer leleh (the trickling strea^n) 

 " to the enlrajice of the bay of Moar* was one 

 " uninterrupted market place. From the Klingf 

 " town, likewise, to the bay of Penajar, the 

 " buildings extended along the shore, in an nn- 

 *• interrupted Irae. If a person sailed from Ma- 

 " lacca to Jagra, there was no occasion to 

 *' carry fire with ooe, for wherever he stopped 

 ** he would find the people's houses. On the 

 " eastern side likewise from Malacca as far as 

 Batu Pahat (hewn stone) there was the same 

 " nninterrupted succession of houses, and a great 

 " many people dwelt along the shore ; and the 

 ** city of Malacca, without including the ex- 



* TUe MoAV river (lUf?mbogaes lUdfinttt the sea abont liilrty mile* It 

 'a the S. S, E. of Malnccn. 



t Mnlab*rs or CiialSahi, trativca of India, 



